Get it done: Reader-recommended Android apps for staying on task

Last week Ars asked; now you've suggested apps that are actually useful.

There are more than 700,000 applications in the Google Play Store, all waiting to be downloaded and taken into a good Android home. With so many Android applications to choose from, sometimes it's hard to find all the good ones.

This week, we’re checking on a few of the applications featured in the comments from last week’s quest for a proper to-do application. We’ll also take a look at a neat little game Google suggested for Triple Town lovers. (You know, to enjoy after completing the tasks you wrote down with one of the many to-do apps spotlighted. We call this synergy.)

Last week, we asked Ars readers what apps you like to use to keep your to-do list in check. Some quickly suggested trying ColorNote. Indeed, it's quite a popular app in the Google Play Store. At first the app seems like nothing more than a notepad knock-off, but you can actually create helpful little sticky note widgets to remind you of things each time you check your device. ColorNote also allows users to password-lock a note or assign a reminder alarm for each task.

Tasks is another application mentioned in last week's roundup. It syncs with Google Tasks and features due date reminders, widgets, and the ability to add multiple Google accounts rather than only syncing with your primary one. It also syncs directly with any tasks you create in Gmail. There is a free version available, but your enjoyment there may depend on how well you can ignore advertisements.

If you have a habit of being incredibly distracted, try breaking up your work day into shifts. Apps like Activity Timer help specifically with this. With this app, you can input the tasks you do on a daily basis and the time you want to spend doing them. When you're ready to start, begin the clock. By the time you finish, the alarm should go off. Theoretically, you're then ready to move on to the next task. Activity Timer also lets you break up the day into morning tasks, afternoon tasks, and evening ones to ensure you're taking enough breaks throughout the day. In the long term, this app even provides a Timer Log to allow you to examine how productive your days have been.

Sometimes I’m not too sure about games suggested to me through app store algorithms, but I became surprisingly enchanted with this simple little title. Block Rogue is a puzzle game with mechanics that reminded me of a game I used to play on Windows 95 called Bulldozer.

Block Rogue is a little more involved, as it features a labyrinthine dungeon where you must solve the puzzles for little Ilbin to find his way out. You’ll have to strategically move rocks in each randomly generated room, as well as activate switches and avoid death-rays to help him find the way out. The puzzles become harder as Ilbin gets closer to exiting the dungeon, but the game automatically saves every time you get to a new level. So no matter where the dungeon seems to have bested you, you can come back and pick up the game right where you left off.

Tasks' ability to sync multiple accounts is a gold star feature. My wife and I have our private accounts and share a Google account. By supporting multiple accounts, we can add the shared account to Tasks and share task lists like Groceries, Movies to Watch, etc.

Can anyone recommend an Android app for making stuff like todo lists and shopping lists that works well with dictation?

I want to be able to press a "new list" button, dictate the name of the list, then dictate something like "apple comma orange comma pear" etc, with comma being whatever the app uses for moving to the next item or next line.

I've tried several that advertised dictation and none of them were better than simply using a pencil and paper.

Edit: Thanks for the Astrid suggestion below. I really appreciate any suggestions. I tried it out but didn't find it was giving me what I wanted.

Can anyone recommend an Android app for making stuff like todo lists and shopping lists that works well with dictation?

I want to be able to press a "new list" button, dictate the name of the list, then dictate something like "apple comma orange comma pear" etc, with comma being whatever the app uses for moving to the next item or next line.

I've tried several that advertised dictation and none of them were better than simply using a pencil and paper.

FWIW, you can always use dictation from the keyboard. So, if you find an app you otherwise like, shouldn't be too hard.

I used to use Astrid, and just created new lists for each e.g. recipe. Then I could just clear the relevant list each time I went to the store with the intent to make a particular thing. I also had a "groceries" list with stuff that I just generally keep around, and lumped bathroom items in (since I get them at the grocery store anyway). Then I could uncheck "groceries", and uncheck specifically-needed items.

I'd recommend the Smooth Calendar widget. It's agnostic about what actual calendar app you want to run, and displays 1 to 6 (I find that 4 works well) upcoming events from a user-definable slice of calendars associated with the accounts on your phone in the widget on your homescreen. It has various settings, such as being able to highlight all-day and current-day events in different colors from other events.

In college it was great while I was still internalizing my schedule when a new semester started, and now when I walk around at work and have impromptu conversations with people about scheduling meetings, I can have quickly-available information on my phone to help me avoid setting up conflicting meetings.

We use Time Recording / Time Recording Pro at work. Just clock in and out at every job done during the day, It Automatically stores coordinates for the position and then we write down the important details for each job, then at the end of the day it generates a daily report and sends to the office for handling. It has actually made everything so much easier for us. And to be honest, besides the alarm clock function, it is the only app on the phone that is really helping the daily work for us... For some Google navigation is important, I use Either my dedicated Tom Tom or CoPilot on the phone/Tablet.

Significant improvement over stock calendar app, though mostly in the customizability of the new appointment activity, and without some of the inconsistencies in the stock app. Admittedly, I'm still running Froyo, so the new versions of the stock app might allow moving an appointment between calendars, but that was the limitation that sent me looking for a replacement.

Significant improvement over stock calendar app, though mostly in the customizability of the new appointment activity, and without some of the inconsistencies in the stock app. Admittedly, I'm still running Froyo, so the new versions of the stock app might allow moving an appointment between calendars, but that was the limitation that sent me looking for a replacement.

Nope, still can't move an event from one calendar to another in the app on ICS or JB. You have to do it from the webpage, and frustratingly enough, the mobile-friendly version of the calendar web page doesn't support this either -- you have to view the page in desktop mode to do it.

Color note + android's native voice analyzer has been great. I hate pecking out on the touch keyboard. When I found out I could just hit the microphone button, say my txt message or colornote item ... things became immensely more useful. It's been so useful I consolidated notes I had spread out across different email accounts, on scraps of paper at work and home, etc. I just tossed everything... grocery lists, short term goal lists, long term goal lists, etc, right into Colornote. When I go grocery shopping, I cross out items I'll need to get again (either on next trip, like meat, or in 5 trips later, like TP), and delete one-shot things.

This is what a phone's supposed to do... baby sit YOU ... not you baby-sit IT, and I'm liking it.

As for games, I became infatuated with Gurk. It's free. You get the entire game. It only advertises for Gurk II. And it's just a fun little 8-bit-style RPG. I've killed hours on it so far, even preferring to play it over games on my PC. I decided to buy Gurk II, also... only $0.99 ... for an RPG that Nintendo would have charged you $40 for back in the 80's. Can't beat that.

However, I also installed nativeBOINC and OS Monitor on the prevail I have. I setup nativeBoinc to run when it's on AC/usb power. This gives me an incentive to plug the phone in AND leave it the F alone so it can not only recharge, but crank out some Milkyway@home projects while it's charging. OS Monitor lets me keep track of the battery temp as well as process monitoring (its main function). I thought the device might get pretty warm, but running at 100% cpu usage overnight the thing is barely warm when I pick it up to turn off the alarm in the morning.

I'd recommend the Smooth Calendar widget. It's agnostic about what actual calendar app you want to run, and displays 1 to 6 (I find that 4 works well) upcoming events from a user-definable slice of calendars associated with the accounts on your phone in the widget on your homescreen. It has various settings, such as being able to highlight all-day and current-day events in different colors from other events.

I'd recommend the Smooth Calendar widget. It's agnostic about what actual calendar app you want to run, and displays 1 to 6 (I find that 4 works well) upcoming events from a user-definable slice of calendars associated with the accounts on your phone in the widget on your homescreen. It has various settings, such as being able to highlight all-day and current-day events in different colors from other events.

Florence Ion / Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.